Frankliniella fuscicauda

Recognition data

Distinguishing features

Both sexes fully winged. Body yellow with abdominal segments VIII–X increasingly brown; major setae light brown; antennal segment II brown, III shaded near apex, IV–V brown in apical half; fore wing pale. Head wider than long; three pairs of ocellar setae present, pair III arising on anterior margins of ocellar triangle; postocular setae pair I present, pair IV longer than diameter of one hind ocellus. Antennae 8-segmented; segments III–IV with sensorium forked, pedicel of segment III slightly swollen, VIII slightly longer than VII. Pronotum with 5 pairs of major setae; anteromarginal setae scarcely shorter than anteroangulars, one pair of minor setae present medially between posteromarginal submedian setae. Metanotum with 2 pairs of setae at anterior margin, campaniform sensilla present. Fore wing with 2 complete rows of veinal setae. Abdominal tergites V–VIII with paired ctenidia, on VIII anterolateral to spiracle; tergite VIII posteromarginal comb with widely spaced slender microtrichia on triangular bases laterally, but these are very small or apparently absent medially. Sternites III–VII without discal setae.

Male smaller than female, body yellow; sternites III–VII with small oval pore plate.

Related and similar species

F. fuscicauda is possibly related to F. tritici, judging from the slightly swollen pedicel on the third antennal segment, but the bicolored abdomen is apparently distinctive. Currently 230 species are listed in the genus Frankliniella, with up to 130 further names placed into synonymy (Nakahara, 1997). This high rate of synonymy has been due to unrecognized variability in size and color of so many species. Scarcely ten of these species are native to parts of the world other than the Americas.

Taxonomic data

Current valid name

Frankliniella fuscicauda Hood

Original name and synonyms

• Frankliniella fuscicauda Hood, 1927: 197

Family placement

Thripidae, Thripinae

Biological data

Life history

Probably breeding in flowers

Host plants

Available specimens “swept”.

Tospoviruses vectored

None

Crop damage

None

Distribution data

Area of origin

Western USA.

Distribution

California